Joe Vinson
Last Updated on June 7, 2022, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 144
[The deMaury Papers] is another of those logical suspense books which drop clues in just the right place to keep the reader interested. Unfortunately, there is almost nothing to keep the reader alert, and certainly no suspense. The few clues that are given turn out to be quite obvious. How about the plot? Unfortunately, that doesn't have any saving graces either….
The most glaring deficiency of the book is the main character. She is simply a lousy person. She is always asking questions, making mountains out of molehills, and generally being insufferably nosey. She also turns out to be a terrible detective. In fact, the reader doesn't do very well either. The end of the story is both unexpected and ironic—ho hum.
Joe Vinson, "Sleuths and Spies: 'The deMaury Papers'," in Best Sellers (copyright © 1977 Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation), Vol. 37, No. 6, September, 1977, p. 174.
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